


Afterward

by Sana (Sumi)



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-05-27 21:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15033578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sana
Summary: The dust settles. The Deputy finds herself lying in the aftermath of Joseph Seed's final act, wondering if she's really safe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I play around with the theory that everything the Deputy faced in the final battle was a bliss induced hallucination. Hey, I can't help myself. I love eventual happy endings!
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd. So be warned.
> 
>  **Update:** 7/3/2019 Since I played New Dawn my muse has taken me in a different direction. I've edited the story to just be a gen AU I played around with. I'll be writing a story eventually featuring the Captain of Security which will tie into the protag from this story.
> 
> Sorry to the few who read this.

The first time Deputy Nami Perez opened her eyes, she discovered herself slumped over in the crashed remains of the truck. Nami smelled the distinctive odor of melting paint and metal. The pungent smell made her gag. She needed to get out. The smoke was filling her lungs at an alarming rate but it was a struggle to even open her eyes.

She fumbled for the seat belt, desperately trying to release herself from the car. Smoke started to fill her lungs, making her attempts to leave even more urgent. Nami almost got the seat belt undone when someone beat her to it. 

A choked scream clawed its way out of Nami's injured throat. The noise was a result of the pain of being moved and what little fight Nami had left in her battered body. In the process of unexpectedly being lifted and tossed over a shoulder, Nami began to give into the unconsciousness that was calling out since waking up in the mangled car.

When Nami opened her eyes for the second time, she realized she was in Dutch’s bunker. Nami tried to move, the unmistakable clinking sound of handcuffs echoed throughout the room. She tugged at them, eyes darting frantically around the bunker. It took only seconds for Nami to notice the still form of Joseph Seed standing a few feet away and just a few feet away lay an obviously deceased Dutch.

“You know what this means?” he asked, slowly approaching her prone form. “It means the politicians have been silenced. It means the corporations have been erased. It means the world has been cleansed by God’s righteous fire, but most of all it means I was right.”

The words washed over Nami, leaving her with a feeling of extreme nausea and fear. She roughly bit down on her bottom lip, biting back any response she may have. Instead, all Nami could do was sit there and wait for Joseph to continue his tirade.

Joseph shifted into a crouching position, never once breaking eye contact with her. “The collapse has come. The world as we know it is over. I waited so long… so long for the prophecy that God whispered into my ear to be fulfilled. I prepared my family for this moment and you took them from me.” A snarl appeared on his bruised face, causing Nami to flinch and tug roughly at the handcuffs, but there was no breaking out of her bonds. She just had to keep listening. “I should kill you for what you’ve done, but you’re all I have left now. You’re my family and when this world is ready to be born anew, we will step into the light for I am your father and you are my child and together we will march onto Eden’s Gate.”

She shook her head, screaming that he was crazy. Joseph's reaction was to stare at her calmly before smashing Nami’s head against the bedpost. Nami slumped over, giving into unconsciousness once again. This would become a theme over the next few days and Nami tried her hardest to resist Joseph's words, until Nami felt the control slipping, that is.

Joseph's words began to worm their way Nami's head. She felt ready to give up. Then something unexpected happened. Nami opened her eyes after a lousy sleep, but instead of waking up inside the bunker, she woke up in what looked like a hospital room.

Each time Nami opened her eyes, the setting remained the same. The white walls were quite the difference from the dark, dreary walls in Dutch’s bunker. Despite the change of scenery, Nami felt the panic growing. She clutched the pristine white sheets with a tight knuckled grip, afraid that if she let go, it would all disappear with the blink of an eye.

“Fuck Rook, you’re awake!”

The voice of Joey Hudson forced Nami to relax her grip just a bit and tilt her head towards the right. In the chair next to the bed sat Nami’s fellow officer. Joey looked like she hadn’t slept in days and was a myriad of healing cuts and bruises. Nami had no idea what state she was in, but it had to be as bad, if not worse, than Joey’s condition. She was the one in the hospital bed, after all.

When Nami failed to say anything, Joey sprung out of the chair. She hovered close to Nami’s nearly still form, hand reaching towards the nurse button. However, before Joey could reach it, Nami’s hand shot out and weakly grabbed Joey’s wrist.

“What happened?” Nami rasped out, voice hoarse from disuse. “I thought you were all dead from the car crash.”

Joey frowned. “Rook, there was no car crash.”

“What?” Nami felt her blood run cold, unsure of what was real and what wasn’t.

“I don’t understand half the shit the doctors said, but because you were exposed the most to bliss, they said it fucked with your brain, Rook. It ways they weren’t sure of.”

The information should have calmed her. Being stuck with Joseph Seed in the bunker while the world burned around them sounded like it was nothing more than a bliss induced hallucination. Nami desperately wanted to believe it. “So it isn’t the end of the world?”

After Joey shook her head, Nami swallowed back tears and pressed forward with her next question. Joey explained everything; telling Nami that during the fight with Joseph at his compound, she collapsed after being thrown into a container of bliss. During the confusion, Hudson shot him dead with two bullets fired from her gun.

The logical conclusion would be the subsequent end of the world and car crash were a result of bliss overconsumption. A nagging feeling in the back of Nami’s head refused to let her fully accept this conclusion.

Nami laughed. “I was trapped in Dutch’s bunker with that fucking crazy bastard. He told regardless of our past history, we were now family. Can you believe that shit, Hudson?” She punctuated the end of the sentence with another laugh.

The hysterics alarmed Joey. She hovered a hand close to the nurses button and looked like she might really press it this time. They locked eyes. Joey tore her gaze away and pressed the button. “The doctors need to check you out, Rook. I’ll be back once they’re done, okay?”

“How are the Sheriff and Pratt?” Nami wanted to ask about all the friends she’d made during her time in Hope County. The words got caught in her throat for fear of hearing the worst.

Joey reached out and squeezed Nami's shoulder. “They're alive, Rook.”

Nami could pick up the unspoken words. The Sheriff and Pratt were alive, but went through hell. They all did. For all Nami knew, she could still be going through it.

Eventually, Joey left and the doctors came in. It was a whirlwind of questions. Nami answered what she could and grew despondent with the ones she could not. When it came for Nami to ask questions, the doctors were straight to the point. She preferred that to a gentle, beat around the bush bedside manner. They explained the extent of Nami’s injuries and the possible consequences of being exposed to all that bliss. The last thing the doctors and nurses told Nami before they left was that she was lucky to be alive; that they were all lucky to have survived this.

Nami tried to sleep after the doctors left her alone. She succeeded after an hour of nothing but tossing and turning on the uncomfortable hospital bed. The difficult thing was trying to avoid falling into a never ending series of nightmares. They all involved Joseph in some manner. It was the last nightmare that had Nami’s eyes flying open and jerking violently upright in bed.

She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. The longer Nami tried to calm herself down, the less it seemed to be working. After five minutes, Nami opened her eyes and shifted the gaze to her left shoulder. The dream was coming back to her. Nami could vividly recall Joseph carving the sin pride into her arm. He said John got it wrong when he carved wrath into her chest. Pride was the sin Nami suffered from and so it should be displayed upon her skin for everyone to see.

The urge to look eventually became too intense to ignore. Nami clumsily yanked up the right sleeve on the hospital gown and stared at her shoulder. There was nothing there except some reddened skin. She yanked the sleeve back down after hearing a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Nami shouted.

Joey walked in first followed by the Sheriff and Pratt. Nami swallowed back tears and let out a laugh. “No offense Whitehorse, but you and Pratt both look like shit.”

She waited for a retort from Pratt, but only silence followed. He always had a snappy reply. This time Pratt could barely meet her eyes and remained tight-lipped. It wasn't the reaction Nami was expecting at all.

The Sheriff, on the other hand, let out a chuckle. “You're really not one to talk, Rook. Have you gotten a look at yourself in the mirror lately?”

“They haven't given me a mirror.”

Still not one word out of Pratt. Nami deflated, letting go of what little energy she had left. She settled against the headboard before turning her gaze towards Joey.

Joey gave Nami a small smile. “Rookie it's best if you avoid the mirror all together.”

“I usually do,” she quipped back.

The air was tense around them. It was never like that before the Hope County Sheriff's Department got itself involved with the Seed family. All of them worked well together and Nami considered the department a second family. They’d all been through hell, but Nami blindly assumed they get through it together like everything else.

Whitehorse was the one to interject and save the moment from becoming anymore awkward. “Hudson, Pratt I need a minute with Rook here so say your goodbyes.”

Joey walked towards the door first. “I’ll see you later, Rook.” She left first with Pratt following a second later. He locked eyes with Nami for a moment and nodded in her direction. If Nami had blinked she would’ve missed it.

The door clicked closed and only then did Nami speak. “Sir, give it to me straight. Am I fired?”

“It’s good to know you haven’t lost that pain in the ass sense of humour, Rook.”

“That’s not a yes or a no…”

He sighed. “Keep it up and I’ll suspend your ass for annoying the shit outta your boss.”

Nami managed a grin. “Seriously, though, sir what did you want to say to me that you can’t say in front of Hudson or Pratt?”

“It’s not so much I can’t say it in front of them. They’ve just been through their own crap. Hudson and Pratt…” Whitehorse’s voice trailed off before he cleared his throat and tried to regain control of the conversation. “Pratt ain’t in a good place, Rook and I can’t see how your faring much better. I wanted to ask how you were-- keep it between us.”

The Sheriff went through shit of his own involving the Seeds, yet here he was putting them first. Old bastard never disappointed. “It feels like all of this is a blissed up hallucination. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

“It's real, Rook. If you're gonna believe anyone, believe your boss who is to old for this shit.” He emphasized his words with a firm squeeze of Nami's shoulder. “Now get some fucking rest. You're gonna need it.”

Nami was more than happy to oblige White horse's order.

~*~

After two days in the hospital, she was ready to leave. Nami began to change into the clothes Hudson brought her that morning. They might want to look her over, but the only thing Nami wanted was to go back to her modest two bedroom apartment and shut everything out. She didn't want to talk to the authorities, media, or even her own parents.

Nami walked into the adjoining bathroom to change. Off came the uncomfortably itchy hospital clothes Nami wanted to ditch for two days now. She grabbed the t-shirt with a cartoon version of Cheeseburger on the front and a picture of an actual cheeseburger on the back. Standing in front of the mirror made it impossible for Nami not to look. She remembered the joking warnings of her coworkers and decided to throw caution to the wind and look anyway. 

The angry, red letters embedded into the skin of Nami’s chest healed crudely. ‘Hold still, it’s supposed to say wrath not rat,’ John taunted. During the last encounter with Joseph, he claimed John got her sin all wrong. Pride, not wrath, was Nami’s true sin. Her fingers twitched, tempted to feel the unmarred skin of her shoulder. 

They claimed it was the bliss, but Nami could clearly recall Joseph dragging a knife through her skin and carving the word pride. He was quiet for a few moments, doing nothing but staring at his handy work.

Nami shrugged off the memory and finished dressing. When Joey reappeared at the door, she was past ready to leave. She sighed in relief, quickly gathering the few belongings she had with her in the hospital room.

“Did Whitehorse speak with the authorities yet?” Nami asked. The goddamn National Guard and everyone above them suddenly wanted to be involved now that the threat had been eliminated.

When the cult was buying up all the land, the feds were nowhere to be found. The residents of Hope County went through hell and back with little outside help. Hundreds -thousands of lives really- were already destroyed. It was a little too late for an intervention.

Joey sighed, hands sliding into her jean pockets. “Yeah, he and I have given statements already. They still wanna talk to you and Pratt, but so far we’re holding them off.”

“Glad you always have my back, Hudson.”

The only place Nami intended to go right now was her apartment. They began to walk down the hall, but were stopped by none other than Grace Armstrong and Jess Black.

Grace approached first, gently squeezing her shoulder as if to make sure Nami wasn't another bliss hallucination. “Good to see you're still alive, Deputy.”  
“Didn’t think you were going to make it,” Jess replied her ratty old hoodie obscuring the top half of her face.

She wasn’t surprised by the crass response from Jess. It drew a laugh from Nami and two matching sighs from both Joey and Grace. “Jess, you’re not the only one whose surprised. I should’ve fucking died ten times over by now.”

“Well you didn’t” Grace muttered. “Focus on that Deputy.”

“How’s everyone?” Nami interjected. She met some good people during her time traveling all over Hope County. People who she hoped were still alive. “Tell me the Rye’s made it. They just made me the fucking godmother. I need a chance to be an actual godparent.”

Grace let the corner of her mouth quirk upwards. “The Rye’s are alive. Same with Hurk and Sharky, but don’t ask me how those two managed to make it.”

“And Dutch?” The sight of Dutch lying dead at Joseph’s feet was far to fresh in her mind. She had to find out what happened to the crazy old bastard.

It was Jess’s turn to answer. “He’s still breathin’. Hard to kill that tough-son-of-a-bitch.”

When Nami finally left the hospital with Hudson, she felt a little more at ease. Though with the memory of Joseph Seed lingering in the back of her mind, the feeling was sure to be temporary.


	2. Chapter 2

_The words of Joseph’s sermon hung heavy in the air. He sat hunched over in the chair before her, buble clutched tightly between his two hands. She could feel his gaze on her as he peered over the rims of those ridiculous glasses. It made Nami squirm, wishing she could look anywhere else. but in Joseph’s direction. A nearly impossible thing to do, however._

_“Do you still refuse to look past your pride, Deputy?”_

_Nami bit back a response. She thought it should be obvious given that she still remained handcuffed to the poster of the bed. Joseph wanted Namo to have a reaction so he would be able to punish her for the repeated sins of pride._

_He sighed, hand shooting out to grab her chin. Joseph forced to Namo to look at him, eyes narrowed. “Look around Deputy. Everything you cared about is gone. The world is on fire and it’s all your fault.” he murmured. “Best accept I am all you have left. You are my family as I am yours. You must let go of that pride of yours.”_

Nami woke up that morning still convinced she as trapped in the bunker with Joseph. He kept insisting all this was a bliss hallucination and there were times Nami let her guard down and started to believe it.

A week passed since Nami woke up in the hospital. She spent the majority of the week shut inside her apartment, trying to ignore the outside world. It took quite a bit of effort on her part, but Nami convinced her parents not to stay in Hope County. They drove the two hour trip, staying for an entire twenty four hours after they found out what happened.

“Come stay with us, Mija. Just for a little while,” Papi insisted every time they spoke. She was tempted to say yes. Nami wanted to try to tough it out and prove the Seeds hadn’t won. But, Nami was tired of fighting. Going to her parents home might give the Nami the reprieve she despertely needed.

When Papi asked for the sixth time, Nami agreed. She packed a suitcase and locked the apartment door before hopping in her old, beat up chevy truck. Ayumi was up in her age. However, she refused to trade it in for one of those new vehicles. As long as it still ran, Nami was going to keep her.

The only person Nami told she was leaving was Joey. She sounded disappointed about her decision. It was clear in Joey’s tone when they spoke. But, it was Joey Hudson. She'd always back Nami up. Even if she didn’t always agree with her decision.

When Nami pulled up to the police station, her heart was beating a mile a minute. The Hope County Sheriff's Department were Nami’s second family. Sheriff Whitehorse might not outwardly show if he was upset by the news, but Pratt would. He’d always expressed his emotion easily and was never able to hide what he was feeling.

“Rook!” Hudson shouted after Nami parked her truck. She looked out the window at Joey who didn’t look the least bit surprised to see her. Joey probably heard old Ayumi coming a smile away. “You choose a good time to stop by. Someone just dropped something off for you about an hour ago.”

Nami cracked a smile. “Is it a pack of cigarettes?”

“You’re smoking again, Rook?”

She sighed. “Don’t give me any shit, Hudson. I need a stress reliever and my old pack still happened to be buried in my nightstand.”

Joey looked like she had a retort, but a loud, insistent barking distracted them both.

“Boomer,” Nami asked, instantly knowing who the book belonged to. She spent enough time cooped up with that dong in whatever vehicle was available at the time. Up above, Nick would normally be flying his father’s plane with ease. And often cracking jokes over the radio or warning Nami of incoming Peggies. Crazy enough, Nami almost missed that.

“That old prepper Dutch dropped him off,” Joey explained. “Left a note too.”

She climbed out of the car and went to Boomer. One hand held the note while the other scratched Boomer’s ears. Nami could tell from the handwriting that the note was defintely from Dutch.

_Deputy,_

_I found old Boomer wandering on my island after you and your friends took out Joseph once and for all. Every time your face came on the news, Boomer wouldn’t shut up. I figured he’d be happier with you._

_Take care of yourself kid._

_Dutch._

“Well I’ll be damned,” Nami muttered. She looked down at Boomer who stared back, head cocked curiously to the side. “I always did want a dog. What better dog than one whose ripped the limbs off hundreds of peggies?”

Joey winced. “Thanks for the image, Rook.”

She grinned, enjoying the moment. It would be a few weeks before they’d see each other again. Best to enjoy it. “Is Whitehorse in?”

“Yeah, go in. He’s expecting you.”

The entire police station seemed to look at Nami when she entered. She took care to close the door quietly behind her, but it didn’t make a difference. Feeling all those pairs of eyes on her made Nami’s stomach twist into knots. Nami was quick to avert her eyes and find the shortest path to Whitehorse’s office.

She only looked away from the path once her hand brushed the door handle. Pratt’s desk was the closest to the Sheriff's office. Instead of finding Pratt hunched over the test, furiously typing away on the computer all Nami saw was an empty chair. Nami knew just a small fraction of the shit Jacob Seed put Pratt through so it was no wonder his desk remained vacant.

“Rook, you coming in or what?” Whitehorse shouted from behind the closed door.

Nami shook her head and finally let herself inside. “Sorry sir. I noticed Pratt wasn’t in and started thinking about him.”

Mentioning Pratt brought a frown to the Sheriff’s face. He then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Whatever, Whitehorse was going to say had to be serious.

“Pratt isn’t doing well, Rook. He’s taking some time off, which is why you requested this sudden meeting, right?”

“Yeah, that’s about right, sir,” Nami admitted. “I’m planning on staying with my parents for a few weeks. Hope it’ll be good for me.”

Before Nami could even blink, Whitehorse was on his feet grasping her hand firmly. “You’re a good cop, Rookie. Remember that.”

Nami walked out feeling better about her decision. She wished she didn’t feel the need to run off to her parents, but staying in Hope Country right now just wasn’t an option.

After a quick goodbye to Joey, Nami started up Ayumi. She started going in the direction that would take her to her parent’s place, but quickly made a sharp right. There was no way Nami was going to leave without saying goodbye to her new goddaughter.

By the time Nami rolled up to the Rye’s place, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. The Rye’s were good people. They deserved happiness, but the same could be said for everyone she met in Hope Country.

Eventually, Nami parked and climbed out of the car. Boomer followed her all the way up to the house, having jumped out the open window. Before she could even knock, Boomer started barking. He didn’t stop until the door finally opened to reveal Nick Rye.

“Shit Dep, is that you?!” Nick explained. “Ain’t you a fucking sight for for sore eyes.”

True to Nick Rye fashion, he pulled her into a bear hug without any warning. It left Nami slightly gasping for air. He only broke the embrace to shout for Kim to come downstairs.

Kim came down to join them a few seconds later. Like Nick, Kim had no qualms about yanking Nami into an embrace of her own. “It’s good to see you, Deputy. Nick and I have been thinkin’ about you.”

The worry they expressed made Nami regret up and leaving. “How’s my namesake doing?” she asked, eager to think about something else other than her intense guilt. Kim naming the baby after her caught Nami off guard. They compromised by using a form of Nami’s middle name. “Last I heard Rosie was doing well.”

Kim smiled. “She’s doing good. I’m glad she’s young enough to not remember any of this shit when she’s older.”

Nami envied her goddaughter for this fact. She wished to forget the entire ordeal with the seeds. Never should’ve placed the cuffs on the Father. Now he’d always be there in her memory, lingering in every part of her mind.

“So, uh, Dep what’s with this sudden visit, anyway? Everythin’ okay?” Nick asked.

She sighed. “I’m going to be staying with my parents for awhile. Just wanted to give you a heads up.”

The news went over well in the end. Nami spent an hour with the Rye’s before climbing back into her truck. It was a two hour drive to her parents place and Nami hoped there she’d finally find some fucking peace.


End file.
